It's little wonder that Handsome Furs' new album, Face Control, draws its inspiration from the road. The Montreal duo's 2007 debut Plague Park was a smart juxtaposition of husband Dan Boeckner's anti-modernist wailings and wife Alexei Perry's coldly mechanical beats and synthetic flourishes. What followed was an extensive touring schedule that has accounted for much of the couple's spare time since.

The exposure to club cultures around the world - especially Eastern European clubs - left the two itching for something new upon their return to the studio. The record's title comes from an obscure snatch of Moscow bouncer slang - we should take that as a hint of what's inside.

Indeed, after witnessing their set Thursday night at Johnny Brenda's - which drew almost exclusively from their recent sophomore effort - there's little doubt that these are songs made for the stage. The loose sinews of Boeckner's once-detached guitar lines coiled into tight and muscular riffs fit for a venue three times bigger, and Perry's beats surged from her electronics table with a more insistently danceable purpose.

Though these moves make for a less nuanced record, they do lend themselves to showmanship: She restlessly stomped and mule-kicked to the pulse, he quivered at the microphone stand like a twisted nerve, and the two held a strong spell over the sizable crowd despite their limited setup.

"Handsome Furs Hate This City," the only song from the debut album to get a slot in the main set, highlighted the band's subtle reinvention. Near the end of a performance brimming with sing-along choruses, comic stage banter, and a heartwarming celebration of the couple's two-year anniversary, the chilling and bitter lament of industrial alienation seemed imbued with a fresh sense of optimism. As the song reached its climax, the crowd roared its loudest applause of the evening, and the band traded hugs, high-fives, and even a couple of kisses with the audience.

Perhaps Handsome Furs have found a new appreciation for the cities of the world, after having shared moments like these with so many of them.